Additional Links

Year’s best books for young readers

By Sonja BolleMcClatchy-Tribune

Dec 22 2012 6:45 am Dec 22 7:15 am

Schlichenmeyer

WHAT CAN A CRANE PICK UP?, by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, illustrated by Mike Lowery (Alfred A. Knopf) – Combining toddler-pleasing elements – silliness, a bouncy rhyme scheme, the ever-popular subject of trucks and a wacky illustration with each turn of the page – this read-aloud book easily becomes a shout-along. “Can a crane lift men in business suits? Yes! And a load of cowboy boots. Cowboy boots or even a COW. A cow? But HOW?” Ages 1-5

THE ADVENTURES OF LITTLE NUTBROWN HARE, by Sam McBratney (Candlewick) – Anyone who adored “Guess How Much I Love You,” McBratney’s father-son love letter, will be delighted with this collection of four short stories about Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare. After big adventures and a little risky business, it’s always good to come home to a cozy burrow. Ages 3 and older

SLEEP LIKE A TIGER, by Mary Logue, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski (Houghton Mifflin) – Sumptuous illustrations and elegant word choices turn the familiar complaint – “I’m just not sleepy!” – into something special. Snails “curl up like cinnamon rolls inside their shells,” “bears are mighty sleepers,” and although the little girl isn’t tired, it feels good to be nice and clean, the sheets feel crisp, and ... zzz. Ages 4-8

THE TOWN MOUSE AND THE COUNTRY MOUSE: An Aesop Fable Retold and Illustrated by Helen Ward (Templar Books) – After a visit from his city cousin, country mouse grows “less certain of his contentedness,” and goes to try the delights of town. Ward’s paintings make a symphony of gold – from the faux-gilt cover, to the sun-drenched hues of the meadows, to the glow of the city’s brass elevator doors and nighttime windows lit from within. Ages 4 and older

I, TOO, AM AMERICA, by Langston Hughes, illustrated by Bryan Collier (Simon & Schuster) – In this happy pairing of verse and pictures, the illustrator has added a new dimension to a few Langston Hughes lines by making “the darker brother” who narrates a Pullman porter, an image with great nuance in American history. Ages 4-8

MALCOLM AT MIDNIGHT, by W.H. Beck, illustrated by Brian Lies (Houghton Mifflin) – Everyone thinks Malcolm the new classroom pet is a sweet mouse, but he’s actually a rat. The honorable Malcolm wishes to come clean about his identity, but first he’ll have to rehabilitate the reputation of his kind, taking to heart the motto of the classroom pets’ society: “A critter reveals his true self at midnight.” Ages 9-12

THREE TIMES LUCKY, by Sheila Turnage (Dial Books) – In the kind of North Carolina town where the reverend has a son named Thessalonians, an irresistible Southern narrator – a literary descendant of Scout Finch of “To Kill a Mockingbird” – Mo LoBeau announces this novel’s mystery from behind the counter of the Tupelo Diner: “There’s been a murder and we’re out of soup.” Ages10 and older

THERE IS NO DOG, by Meg Rosoff (Putnam) – Rosoff’s premise in this cheeky (some might say blasphemous) novel is that God is a teenage boy. That would explain a lot, wouldn’t it? The creator is surly and self-involved, has little attention span and even less ability to sort out the mess he set in motion. He also has occasional flashes of brilliance and joy. Ages 12 and older

REACHED, by Ally Condie (Dutton) – In the final book of the “Matched” trilogy, we hear all three voices of the triangle Condie established when the perfectly controlled Society mistakenly paired our heroine, Cassia, with the mysterious Ky, as well as with her properly intended mate, Xander. Ages 12 and older

CODE NAME VERITY, by Elizabeth Wein (Hyperion) – A young Scottish woman taken prisoner in occupied France spins out her confession to her Nazi interrogators. Like Scheherazade, a narrator in desperate straits, she constructs her story cleverly. Is she indeed confessing? Is she dissembling to prolong her life? Is she lying to give her partner time to complete their mission? Ages 14 and older

Comments

Notice about comments:

Aiken Standard is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point.

We do not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click the X that appears in the upper right corner when you hover over a comment. This will send the comment to Facebook for review. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full terms and conditions.